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5 perfect wine and cured meat pairings for charcuterie o’clock

Read time 3 Mins

Posted 05 Oct 2023

By
Evan Jones

Struggling to find the right wine match? We’ve got the cure(d meats) for that.

There’s a certain personality type that (shockingly) doesn’t get name-checked in those online tests: the one who hovers near the cured meat platter at parties. If, like us, your idea of a good time is sorting the saucisson from the salami, there’s an easy level-up: a glass of great wine to go with it.

The key to pairings, as always, is balance. Cured meats tend to be salty, fatty, savoury and aromatic, and wine can bring bright acidity or fresh fruit flavours that let everything sing in harmony. So, next time you make a beeline for the charcuterie plate, take inspiration from the ideas below and grab a glass of wine for the ride.

Salami on a plate with a bottle of prosecco

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1. Saucisson with prosecco

Salami is the chart-topping cured sausage that everyone knows (and rightly so – it’s a banger), but we think it’s time to make a little space for saucisson. Saucisson is a French cured sausage, packed heavy with lean pork and flecks of rich fat, a few spices and maybe a little wine, but often without the heavier additions found in salami (things like fennel, garlic and chilli). It’s a rich umami-bomb and, while you could certainly make the case for a chilled red here, we reckon the Mionetto Prosecco Brut is perfection. This Italian prosecco is dry, but with a hint of sweetness, it’s got lively acidity, refreshing bubbles and there’s a crisp apple flavour that makes us think of roast pork and apple sauce.

2. Hot smoked salmon with riesling

Riesling is a wine style that wears a lot of hats (wine can wear hats, right?). It can be dessert-level sweet, rich with age or, as with the Robert Oatley Signature Series Great Southern Riesling, like a little glass of citrus juice. This riesling is dry as a desert, light-bodied and packed with lemon-lime flavours, making it a no-brainer when paired with fish. Hot smoked salmon is our go-to here – flaky, creamy, salty and a little bit smoky, it’s as rich as seafood gets and, if you’ve ever squeezed a little fresh lemon over your salmon fillet, you’ll know why this match works so well. Here, forget the squeeze: take a sip of riesling after each bite of salmon and thank us later.
Salmon and riesling on a bar in a venue

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Enjoying a plate of bresaola with pinot noir

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3. Bresaola with pinot noir

One for the cheat sheet: pinot noir is a no-fooling all-rounder. If you’re drawing a blank on what to take to the next wine tasting with your mates, reach for a pinot like Riposte The Sabre Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir. It’s fresh, bright, light enough that it won’t dominate delicate food and has those juicy cherry flavours everyone loves in a pinot noir. For cured meat pairings, we’re big fans of the way this one works with an Italian cut called bresaola. Unlike fattier charcuterie, bresaola is super lean. It’s basically a fancy take on beef jerky, but sliced paper-thin rather than those rustic strips. Even though it’s beef, bresaola doesn’t need a powerful wine like a steak might – instead, a light and dry pinot with subtle florals will give everything a nice umami boost.

4. Prosciutto and rosé

Prosciutto di San Daniele is surely proof that someone up there likes us. Strictly from Friuli in Italy’s north, this moreish cured pork is slightly sweet, salty and savoury, and it’s sliced so thin you can wave to your friends through it. What that means for your wine is that it’s best to go for something equally delicate, and that’s where rosé comes in. And trust us, rosé was made for snacking. These light pink wines are often a little bit zippy with a touch of fresh fruitiness, and that goes double for this Dominique Portet Single Vineyard Rosé. This guy is a little fuller-bodied due to its blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and malbec, and it brings a peachy vibe that works so well with prosciutto.
Prosciutto and grissini with a glass of rosé

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Chorizo on a plate with tempranillo

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5. Spanish chorizo with tempranillo

Fatty pork, garlic, smoky paprika, a little chilli – Spanish chorizo is intense. It’s 100% the reason we love it (and why we’ve saved it ’til last), but it needs a properly flavoursome wine alongside it. Here, we reckon a punchy Spanish red like Finca Carelio Tempranillo is just about perfect. Not only do cured meats tend to pair well with wines from the same region (another little tip for your cheat sheet), but like goes with like. Big and brash cured meat? Get yourself a wine with stacks of flavour. The spice and pungent aromatics in this chorizo are on the same level as the big berry flavours and stronger tannins in this tempranillo, making for a balanced pairing. 
Wine and cured meats are a classic match for a reason, but pairings don’t end there. Keep the good times rolling with our guide to pairing craft beer, and the beer-and-snack matches we love best.
Shop related products
Dominique PortetSingle Vineyard Rosé
Single Vineyard Rosé
$41.99 each
 
MionettoProsecco Brut
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Prosecco Brut
$19.99 each
 
RiposteThe Sabre Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir
The Sabre Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir
Member Offer
$28 per bottle Non-Member: $31.99 each
 
Robert OatleySignature Series Great Southern Riesling
Signature Series Great Southern Riesling
$21.99 each
 
Finca CarelioTempranillo
Tempranillo
$14.99 each
 
image credits: Alice Hutchinson (photography), Bridget Wald (styling).
Authour image
Evan JonesEvan Jones is a Melbourne-based writer who believes that enlightenment can be attained with nothing more than a sour beer, a good sandwich and sunshine.
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LearnSparklingWhite WineRed WineTempranilloWineProseccoFood pairingsRieslingPinot Noir
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